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6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3
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The only thing I want is longer battery life. Those features are handy but battery life is the main thing.
Satellite: I'll probably never use it because I have an iPhone but in the 1/10,000,000 chance that I find myself lost in the wild without my phone, it could save my life so I'll take it. BUT if my Apple Watch Ultra is flat because the battery life sucks, then it wont save me.
Ticking seconds hand on the screen: Nice to have but in no way is this important.
Faster Charging: Yes please, always useful.
5G: I could not give 2 ***** about 5G on my watch and this will likely put even more drain on the battery. Great....
Battery life, battery life, battery life. That's what we want!! Surely they can make it last like 5 days with normal use and 7+ days on low power mode? Also don't forget that if the battery life is "just good enough" when new then it will be not good enough when it's 2 years old. I have the Apple Watch Ultra 1 and I still love the watch and its functionality BUT the battery lasts 1 day and no more. I charge before bed, wear it all night and all day, do a workout and then by 9pm it's down to 10-20% so barely enough to make it through the night. So the watch is still usable as a charge every day watch but it no longer lasts 2-3 days like it did when it was new. I have considered going back to Garmin purely because I'm sick of Apple dragging their feet on battery life. I don't need a month, I just want a comfortable 4-5 days so I can go away for the weekend or go on a hiking trip and not have to worry about my watch going flat. It's a rugged outdoor watch, it should be able to do a 2-3 day hike, with say 5-6 hours of GPS per day and still get home with 20% battery left.
Satellite: I'll probably never use it because I have an iPhone but in the 1/10,000,000 chance that I find myself lost in the wild without my phone, it could save my life so I'll take it. BUT if my Apple Watch Ultra is flat because the battery life sucks, then it wont save me.
Ticking seconds hand on the screen: Nice to have but in no way is this important.
Faster Charging: Yes please, always useful.
5G: I could not give 2 ***** about 5G on my watch and this will likely put even more drain on the battery. Great....
Battery life, battery life, battery life. That's what we want!! Surely they can make it last like 5 days with normal use and 7+ days on low power mode? Also don't forget that if the battery life is "just good enough" when new then it will be not good enough when it's 2 years old. I have the Apple Watch Ultra 1 and I still love the watch and its functionality BUT the battery lasts 1 day and no more. I charge before bed, wear it all night and all day, do a workout and then by 9pm it's down to 10-20% so barely enough to make it through the night. So the watch is still usable as a charge every day watch but it no longer lasts 2-3 days like it did when it was new. I have considered going back to Garmin purely because I'm sick of Apple dragging their feet on battery life. I don't need a month, I just want a comfortable 4-5 days so I can go away for the weekend or go on a hiking trip and not have to worry about my watch going flat. It's a rugged outdoor watch, it should be able to do a 2-3 day hike, with say 5-6 hours of GPS per day and still get home with 20% battery left.
HazeAndHahmahneez
macrumors regular
I got it saved in my calendar as august 2028 the patent ends and apple can reactivate BO for Apple Watch.....this means I can't lose or destroy my series 9 with BO or else the new device won't have it?? yes I know swappa/ebay would have a device as such, I simply mean not through Apple itself...even apple refurbs wouldn't have BO correct?....
Oh yes, that's a great point! They should definitely do that. Also Oneplus were able to make software that allowed the screen to operate normally even when it's wet. Surely Apple could do the same for the rugged outdoor sport watch lol. Even when my finger is just damp it sometimes is impossible to use my watch.
Both the watches need a lot more battery life, at least double of what they are currently!
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements.
While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way.
By the time the Ultra 3 is announced in September, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived, leaving plenty of room for enhancements, especially for users coming from a first-generation Apple Watch Ultra. Here are all of the major new features we're likely to see in the Apple Watch Ultra 3:
Hypertension Detection
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that blood pressure monitoring should be the next major health feature for the Apple Watch, coming first to the Ultra 3.
The rumored feature would not provide exact systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements, instead tracking whether a user's blood pressure is trending upwards and sending an alert if hypertension is detected. After receiving an alert, the Apple Watch user could provide the information to a medical professional for additional testing.
Hypertension is known as a silent killer because it can go undetected and undiagnosed, leading to heart damage and death. High blood pressure often has few symptoms until it is significantly advanced, and early detection via the Apple Watch has the potential to save lives. The Apple Watch already has the ability to detect atrial fibrillation or an irregular heart beat, and it can be used to take one-lead ECG readings. There is also a blood oxygen monitoring feature, but it is disabled in current models in the United States due to patent issues.
The company has apparently been working on the capability for the last several years, and based on rumors, Apple originally wanted to debut it in 2024.
Brighter Display With Faster Refresh Rate
One of the consequences of Apple choosing to not update the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024 was the Apple Watch Series 10 surpassing it in terms of display technology. It seems highly likely Apple will at least bring parity to the Ultra this year.
The Apple Watch Series 10 gained an LTPO3 OLED always-on Retina display, while the current Ultra features LTPO2 technology. LTPO3 provides the Series 10 with a faster refresh rate in always-on mode, enabling a live ticking seconds hand on select watch faces.
Similarly, the Apple Watch Series 10 has a wide-angle OLED, allowing it to be up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle. It seems inevitable that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will get both of these display enhancements.
New Chip
Following two years without a refresh, it seems highly likely that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will feature a new chip.
The current Apple Watch Ultra features the S9 chip, but with the 2024's Apple Watch Series 10, Apple introduced the S10 chip. While the S10 is not more powerful than the S9, it is more compact.
A newer chip would free up some internal space inside the Ultra for other components such as a larger battery. If Apple opts for an S11, it could be more powerful or feature new built-in capabilities.
Satellite Connectivity
Last year, Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will gain satellite connectivity—a feature currently exclusive to the iPhone.
The feature would allow Apple Watch Ultra users to be able to connect to a satellite network to send texts when cellular networks and Wi-Fi are unavailable. When satellite connectivity first launched for the iPhone, it was limited to emergency text messages, but in iOS 18, Apple expanded it to allow users to send texts to anyone.
Satellite connectivity would help Apple to better compete with companies like Garmin that offer dedicated satellite hardware for use in off-grid emergencies. The Apple Watch Ultra is aimed at hikers, scuba divers, and adventurers, and satellite connectivity for the device would add another layer of safety for activities that are not near cellular towers. Apple is apparently hoping that this feature will be a key feature motivating people to upgrade to a new Apple Watch Ultra.
Currently, Apple still does not charge for satellite connectivity, and there is no word yet on what the company might charge. All iPhones come with two years of connectivity for free, and that will also likely be the case for the Apple Watch Ultra.
5G Connectivity
According to Gurman and The Information's Wayne Ma, Apple plans to eliminate the Qualcomm modem used in the Apple Watch Ultra with the third version of the device. Rather than using the C1 modem or another custom Apple chip, Apple plans to switch from using Qualcomm units to MediaTek ones. MediaTek is one of the few companies capable of designing 5G modems.
MediaTek's modem chip adds support for 5G RedCap, a 5G service that's designed for connected devices and wearables that do not need standard 5G speeds. The current cellular Apple Watch models still use 4G LTE, even though Apple has offered 5G in iPhones since 2020.
Redesigned Back and Faster Charging
The Apple Watch Series 10 introduced a completely reengineered metal back with a larger charging coil and an integrated antenna.
Apple Watch Series 10's redesigned back.
The Apple Watch Ultra currently features a ceramic and sapphire crystal rear, rather than metal. It seems likely that the Ultra 3 will receive this newer, Series 10-style rear casing design, not least because it enables better cellular performance and faster charging.
The new metal ba... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: 6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3
Other wise another year of no upgrade from me!
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No, they all have it, even refurbs have it. It's just disabled.
There's no certainty that Apple will enable them, I guess time will tell.
Honestly my original AWU, usually on the new titanium loop, is pretty much perfect with 100% battery health and Apple Care coverage. This update could in theory be worth it for blood pressure, fresh battery, stuff like the speaker and double tap. The design is fine and doesn’t need to be slimmed down meaningfully - you have the regular AW for that. I could see buying an AW3 and keeping it for several years
Garmin are pure sports watches, AWU is a sports watch & a smart phone, it carries twice the work load, having said that, both the Apple Watch versions, should have double the battery life, they currently have and i'M NOT UPGRADING UNTIL THEY DO
Blood pressure would be a really cool feature. I was actually surprised that the Ultra didn’t have the secondhand always on feature like the Series 10 watch has.
The sensor will be there. But it won't be unlocked until Apple can settle with the company that holds the patent
Wouldn't a hypertension alert make a person's hypertension worst. 😳
How is the durability of the AWU2? I have seem issues with the black bezel around the display chipping.
I’ve used an ESR screen protector with the bezel protection since I saw the reports of the bezel chipping. Can’t tell it’s there.
On the one hand I love my AWUltra2 and the only thing I really want from it is better battery.
On the other hand, these are not compelling features. If I swapped from my current to this one I doubt I would notice any difference.
I love its ruggedness having bashed it several times but it really is the least pretty of all the Apple Watches so I might be at least a little tempted if they refined the look.
On the other hand, these are not compelling features. If I swapped from my current to this one I doubt I would notice any difference.
I love its ruggedness having bashed it several times but it really is the least pretty of all the Apple Watches so I might be at least a little tempted if they refined the look.
Rumor has it, Tim went for a hike and left his phone behind and couldn't get in contact with the home office. So they put satellite connections in there. You are needing it point it up in the air to get a clean connection, but also several developers won a bet on how to get their CEO to look like the Statue of Liberty.